Night light



Aug. 31, 1965 s. s. ELIOT NIGHT LIGHT Filed Feb. 21, 1964 INVENTOR. BY(5'01 (51 052107 Ms flrrwfzvzr- United States Patent M 3,203,126 NIGHTLIGHT Sol S. Eliot, Chicago, 111., assignor to Crest Specialty, Inc.,Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed Feb. 21, 1964, Ser. No.346,447 2 Claims. (Cl. 40-131) My invention relates to new and usefulimprovements in a night light which is adapted to be connected to anelectric fixture such as a wall socket or the like to emit a soft lightwithin a room.

The conventional arrangement of attaching the night light to an electricfixture such as a wall socket or the like is through the medium of apair of prongs connected in circuit with the lamp within the housing ofthe night light and insertable in the slots of the wall socket or thelike.

My invention contemplates providing as the front outer wall of thehousing an indicia-bearing transparent plate or disc, in indicia ofwhich provides certain information such as the names, addresses and/ortelephone numbers of banks, drugstores, merchants, doctors, and thelike, and may also give information such as the telephone numbers of thepolice and fire departments.

It is a well known fact that the slots in wall sockets vary, in thatthey may be arranged to extend either horizontally or vertically. As itis desirable that the indicia appearing on the indicia-bearing plate ofthe housing be at all times disposed in an upright readable position, itis an object of this invention to provide a simple and inexpensivearrangement whereby the indicia-bearing plate may be rotated relative tothe mounting of the night light so that regardless of whether the lightis plugged into a socket having horizontally extending slots, theindiciabearing plate may be adjusted to assume an upright readableposition.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of partsto be hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings showing the preferred form of construction, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the parts of the invention inexploded relation with respect to each other;

FIG. 3 is a sectional detail view taken substantially on line 3-3 ofFIG. 1.

The several objects of my invention are best accomplished by thepreferred form of construction shown in the drawings wherein a housingis indicated at 10. This housing, as shown, is preferably cylindrical inform and includes a recessed front wall 11 and a rearwardly extendingcylindrical reducted portion 12 to form a collar.

The housing is formed of translucent mattrial. Positioned over therecessed wall 11 is a transparent cover plate 13. This cover plate 13has a circumferentially extending groove 14 formed therein to receivethe peripheral edge 15 of the housing 10, which edge 15 is preferablycemented in the groove 14 to provide a fixed connection between thecover plate 13 and the housing.

The cover plate 13 has printed thereon indicia 16 giving informationsuch as the name and address and/or telephone number of a merchant,bank, drugstore, doctor or the like. In addition, it has been foundhighly desirable that the indicia also provide the telephone numbers ofthe police and fire departments.

A mounting plate is indicated at 17. The mounting plate 17 has mountedthereon a lamp 18 connected in circuit with prongs 19 which are adaptedto be projected 3,293,126 Patented Aug. 31, 1965 into the slots of anelectric fixture (not shown), which may be a wall socket or the like.Formed on the peripheral edge of the mounting plate or disc 17 is aflange 25.

A bezel 21 is provided with offset shoulders 22 and 23. The bezel 21fits over the peripheral edge 24 of the housing 10 with such edgeportion 24 engaging the shoulder 23. The bezel 21 is cemented orotherwise fixedly secured to the housing 10.

The shoulder 22 and the peripheral edge portion 24 provide together acircumferential groove within which is rotatably mounted the flange 25of the mounting plate 17 whereby the housing 10 may be axially rotatedrelative to the mounting plate 17, there being sufficient frictionalcontact between the flange 25 and the bezel 21 to maintain the housingin a predetermined position.

The foregoing construction permits my improved night light to be pluggedinto an electric fixture irrespective of the direction of the slotsthereof. As shown, the night light is intended to be plugged into anelectric fixture having the slots arranged in a vertical direction.Should, however, the slots of the fixture extend in a horizontaldirection, by simply rotating the housing 10 to which theindicia-bearing cover plate is secured, the indicia 16 may be positionedin an upright readable position.

The simplicity of construction permits the manufacture of the nightlight'at an economical cost, with the result that the same may be soldat an economical price.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form ofconstruction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable ofvariation and modification without departing from the spirit of theinvention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precisedetails of com struction set forth, but desire to avail myself of suchvariations and modifications as come within the scope of the appendedclaims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire toprotect by Letters Patent is:

1. A night light comprising:

(a) a translucent cylindrical lamp housing including a laterallyextending cylindrical reduced rear portion and a recessed front wall,

(b) a transparent indicia bearing cover plate mounted to the housing infront of the recessed wall and having a periphreal groove into which theperipheraledge of the housing is fixedly cemented,

(c) a mounting plate having a peripheral flange providing a groove intowhich the peripheral edge of said reduced portion is positioned,

(d) said mounting plate having a lamp mounted thereon and a pair ofprongs extending rearwardly therefrom and connected in circuit with thelamp and adapted to be inserted in the slots of an electric fixture,

(e) a bezel having a stepped interior surface encircling said peripheraledge of said reduced portion of said housing and said peripheral flangeof said mounting plate for rotatably securing said mounting plate ontosaid housing to permit said housing to be rotated relative to saidmounting plate to dispose the indicia on said cover plate in an uprightposition.

2. A night light comprising:

(a) a translucent cylindrical lamp housing including a laterallyextending cylindrical reduced rear portion and a recessed front wall,

(b) a transparent indicia bearing cover plate mounted to the housing infront of the recessed wall.

(c) a mounting plate having a peripheral flange providing a groove intowhich the peripheral edge of said reduced protion is positioned,

(d) said mounting plate having a lamp mounted there- References Cited bythe Examiner on and a pair of prongs extending rearwardly there- UNITEDSTATES PATENTS from and connected in circuit With the lamp and 2,718,6367/55 Harrington 240-8.l6 X 1aidapted to be lnserted 1n the slots of anelectric 2,841,695 7/58 Bentsen 14O 46'3 X xture, 5

(e) a bezel having a stepped interior surface encircling FOREIGN PATENTSsaid peripheral edge of said reduced portion of said housing and saidperipheral flange of said mounting plate for rotatably securing saidmounting plate onto said housing to permit said housing to be rotatedrelative to said mounting plate to dispose the indicia EUGENE R,CAPOZIO, P imary Examiner. on said cover plate in an upright position.JEROME SCHNALL, Examiner.

480,193 2/3 8 Great Britain. 801,052 9/58 Great Britain. 10 376,67411/39 Italy.

2. A NIGHT LIGHT COMPRISING: (A) A TRANSLUCENT CYLINDRICAL LAMP HOUSINGINCLUDING A LATERALLY EXTENDING CYLINDRICAL REDUCED REAR PORTION AND ARECESSED FRONT WALL, (B) A TRANSPARENT INDICIA BEARING COVER PLATEMOUNTED TO THE HOUSING IN FRONT OF THE RECESSED WALL. (C) A MOUNTINGPLATE HAVING A PERIPHERAL FLANG PROVIDING A GROOVE INTO WHICH THEPERIPHERAL EDGE OF SAID REDUCED PORTION IS POSITIONED, (D) SAID MOUNTINGPLATE HAVING A LAMP MOUNTED THERE ON AND A PAIR OF PRONGS EXTENDINGREARWARDLY THEREFROM AND CONNECTED IN CIRCUIT WITH THE LAMP AND ADAPTEDTO BE INSERTED IN THE SLOTS OF AN ELECTRIC FIXTURE, (E) A BEZEL HAVING ASTEPPED INTERIOR SURFACE ENCIRCLING SAID PERIPHERAL EDGER OF SAIDREDUCED PORITON OF SAID HOUSING AND SAID PERIPHERAL FLANGE OF SAIDMOUNTING PLATE FOR ROTATABLY SECURING SAID MOUNTING PLATE ONTO SAIDHOUSING TO PERMIT SAID HOUSING TO BE ROTATED RELATIVE TO SAID MOUNTINGPLATE TO DISPOSE THE INDICIA ON SAID COVER PLATE IN AN UPRIGHT POSITION.